Gyn_Paul Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Belgium seems to be unique in that a car's plates stay with the owner rather than the vehicle when sold. Not a problem for a Belgian who just gets a new Carte Grise issued with a new number and then pops into BelgianHalfords and gets new plates cut when he buys a second-hand car. Somewhat more problematic for a foreigner.So the question is....How does one get a plateless car from Belgium to France prior to the usual visit(s) to the sous-prefecture??? I'm assuming I need some form of trade plates, if so, who issues them?The prefecture website offers me no clues, but I'm sure the forum will.p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Export plates needed, red ones with white letters. Ask a local garage. If buying it from them they can sort it, otherwise go to customs and they will guide you.Is it still worth doing given the discounts in France at present? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sid Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 I've just bought a new car from Belgium, but I did it through a mandataire near Lille. All very painless and he did the registration for me. I saved around 34% on the list price here in France. Renault, built in Spain and bought in Belgium!All in all, I'm very pleased with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Yes, I've done it a coule of times a few years ago. It was easy enough . Didnt know the price differential was still there, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gyn_Paul Posted December 9, 2012 Author Share Posted December 9, 2012 Peugeot 308 bought 2 mths ago from Belgium garage, better part of 2K less than same model, same spec, roughly same kmage, in dealership in Limoges. May not be quite the same story for new, though, don't know as I never buy new. Prefer to let someone else take that 1st depreciation hit!p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sid Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Over my working life I've bought cars more times than I care to remember, often after only 18 months or 2 years, and you're right, there is a big hit on depreciation on a new car. The worst case scenario is where you replace the car after only a short time, as I used to. I guess it was a case of "because I can". Now I'm in an entirely different situation and buying new means that I don't have to worry about parts failure for a few years because of the warranty (which is valid all over Europe) and I won't have the bother of a CT for 4 years. My previous car, bought in the same manner, but from Germany via Alsace, has lasted me for over 8 years and owes me nothing now. The bottom line, I think, is that the initial depreciation is smoothed out if you keep the car for a long time. At least I'll know the car's history in detail.There are dozens of these mandataires advertising on the internet so the market is still there. I have nothing but praise for the manner in which my agent carried out the transaction, even down to paying my train fare and collecting me from the station. Yes, I know that in reality I paid for the fare, but it's the manner in which all these things are done which makes for a satisfactory transaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 You could try asking on a Belgian forum http://www.expatica.com/be/main.htmlNot quite the same I know but my current car was from Belgium but bought via a UK LHD dealer. It still bore it's original Belgian plates and I had no difficulty either in getting French insurance for it for the trip over nor any difficulties at the prefecture when registering it.The technically correct procedure I believe would be to apply for French temporary plates as WB says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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